Connie Dela Cruz: A Mother’s Day and Night Devotion

Connie Dela Cruz, a resilient mother from Barangay Talaban, Himamaylan City, embodies a spirit of unwavering dedication. By day, she’s a hardworking talaba vendor, rising early to harvest and sell her oysters, ensuring her two children are provided for. She isn’t just a vendor; she’s an entrepreneur, delivering her goods to loyal customers across the city. Her work ethic is a testament to a mother’s resolve to build a better life for her family.

From Sidewalk Vendor to Reading Champion

Connie’s role as a provider extends far beyond her day job. When the sun sets, she becomes a reading champion for her daughters, taking on the crucial task of helping them learn to read. This dual life of day-shift hustle and night-shift tutoring highlights her exemplary parenting strategy. While her husband also works a night shift at the talabahan, Connie dedicates her time to nurturing her children’s intellectual growth.

Connie’s journey as a home educator was greatly influenced by the HomeAid Project, a pioneer learning platform for parents. This program taught parents how to cope with the common challenges they encounter in teaching their children. Through Hope Builders Organization Negros Island Inc. (HBONI) volunteers, parents learned effective teaching and learning strategies in a home setting. Two of Connie’s children became recipients of this program, which provided a much-needed “channel of hope” during the educational disruptions caused by the pandemic.

Following the HomeAid Project, the Advancing Basic Education or ABC+ Project’ Parents and Community Engagement (PCE) pushed through with a main goal of capacitating parents’ involvement in their children’s learning journey. With the support of dedicated volunteers and the Neighborhood Parents Support Group (NPSG), and as a member, Connie equipped herself with effective teaching strategies. This experience not only transformed her children’s reading skills but also fueled their enthusiasm for learning.

A Community of Hope

The success ABC+ Project’s Parent and Community Engagement in Barangay Talaban wasn’t just a win for Connie’s family; it was a victory for the entire community of Himamaylan. Connie’s story became a beacon for other working parents, proving that financial limitations don’t have to be a barrier to education. She took part in the Parents and Community Based Learning Sessions, a collaboration of USAID, the Department of Education and The Asia Foundation (TAF). These sessions provided her and other parents with practical training on how to facilitate their children’s learning in reading, writing, and arithmetic.

On October 3, 2023, the NPSG took a significant step by rolling out a community-based learning session for 40 parents in Himamaylan City, officially recognizing them as “home learning partners.” This initiative has since expanded, with volunteer trainers offering free programs to parents in other cities, making reading accessible and empowering families to take an active role in their children’s education.

Connie Dela Cruz embodies the principle that “no child should be left behind.” Her dedication, whether harvesting oysters by day or nurturing young minds by night, is a powerful reminder that a parent’s love and commitment can pave the way for a brighter future. Her life is a story of faith, hard work, and the belief that hope truly can be found in reading. She, is an epitome of a modern hero.